Minister Iván Velásquez pledges to promote greater presence of women in the Military Forces
The Military Forces have been substantially transforming to open up more space for women: Minister of Defense.
The Defense Sector has made progress in recognizing the leading role of women within the Military Forces, as well as in incorporating them with a gender focus: Minister Iván Velásquez.
With the purpose of strengthening the prevention and assistance to face gender-based violence and sexual violence within the military Forces, the Ministry of National Defense, the Military Forces, the National Police and the Presidential Office for Women's Equity signed the sectoral commitment: For a life free of violence and with equality, within the framework of the event that opened the Gender Week of the Minister of Defense.
The commitment document, which was in the same way signed by Minister Iván Velásquez Gómez, constitutes a reliable demonstration of interest towards public opinion to promote actions that led the breaking of silence and encourage the denunciation of violence, as well as the eradication of discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity within the Security and Defense Sector.
“The protection of life, work for life and respect for human rights, particularly the rights of women, is a fundamental element to the Ministry of National Defense, the Military Forces and the National Police, in the construction of policies to prevent phenomena such as gender-based violence,” explained Minister Velásquez.
Within the framework of the event, the conversation The War that Touched the Body of Women was in the same way held, which was moderated by the journalist, women's rights activist and ambassador of the 155 Line for the Assistance to Women Victims of Violence, Jineth Bedoya, who said that: "It is a special day because if we go back three decades ago we did not have a week on gender in the Military Forces, and that means that today we are more aware of the need for the gender approach to be transversal (...) talking about the eradication of gender-based violence implies assuming social responsibility as civil society and as Military Forces."
The head of the Ministry of Defense recalled the existence of the Sectoral Public Policy of the transversal Gender Approach and the Protocol of the Military Forces for the Prevention and Response to Sexual Violence, where, according to Minister Velásquez, "instructions are recorded at all levels of the command for the prevention and assistance in cases of gender-based violence and sexual violence that arise in the Military Forces, as well as in cases in which a member of the military forces is allegedly involved."
Finally, the woman who has contributed from her life story, work, work and activism to the elimination of violence against women, the journalist Jineth Bedoya, was emphatic in her call to the nearly 700 officers, non-commissioned officers, members of the executive level, police officers and soldiers of the Military Forces and the National Police, who were at the Patria Theater, where the event was held: "It is a historic moment. Not only due to changes and transformations, but to confront gender-based violence. The numbers are calling us to act now. The female homicides place us globally as one of the countries where women are murdered the most, and only from prevention, from awareness raising in society from Military Forces that understand what their role is and how to face this challenge, is that we are going to be able to change these realities."
Source: Defense Sector Communications Office - Ministry of National Defense
